© 2026 WGCU News
News for all of Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Southwest Florida International Airport made history on March passenger numbers

Southwest Florida's largest airports, RSW (above) and Punta Gorda, do not take part in an international effort to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that hundreds of airports worldwide are active in to try and lessen the transportation sector's contribution to climate change.
File
/
WGCU
Southwest Florida's largest airports, RSW (above) and Punta Gorda, do not take part in an international effort to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that hundreds of airports worldwide are active in to try and lessen the transportation sector's contribution to climate change.

Southwest Florida International Airport posted some history-making numbers in March.

During that month there were 1,521,149 passengers who traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport — also known by the FAA's airport identification letters as RSW — that’s a historic monthly record.

“March 2026 was the busiest March and best single month in the 43-year history of Southwest Florida International Airport,” said Steven Hennigan, C.M., A.C.E., executive director and CEO of the Lee County Port Authority. “We appreciate all our employees, airlines and airport business partners who support the traveling public every day and thank our passengers for their patience during what was an incredibly busy month. I also want to recognize the many TSA officers who came to work every day, despite personal hardships, to make sure travelers had a safe and secure experience at RSW.”

The traffic leader in March was Delta with 289,910 passengers. Rounding out the top five airlines were Southwest (282.966), United (225,833), American (214,941) and JetBlue (121,213). Southwest Florida International Airport had 12,577 aircraft operations, an increase of 4.7 percent compared to March 2025.

Page Field saw 17,350 operations, which was a 30 percent increase compared to March 2025.

Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 11.1 million passengers in 2025 and is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic. No ad valorem (property) taxes are used for airport operation or construction. For more information, visit flylcpa.com or facebook.com/flyRSW.

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.

Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU